MHc47 Central Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forest factsheet
Transcript of MHc47 Central Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forest factsheet
141
Central Wet-Mesic Hardwood ForestWet-mesic hardwood forests on somewhat poorly drained sandy loam soils on till plains and stream terraces, often on broad flats and gentle slopes adjacent to wetlands and in ecotones between upland forests and wetlands. Soils are saturated for prolonged periods, either because of clayey subsoil horizons that impede drainage or because of high local water tables.
Vegetation Structure & CompositionDescription is based on summary of vegetation data from 23 plots (relevés).•Ground layer typically is continuous (> 75% cover), with lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) the most abundant species, and Clayton’s sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii) and early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum) usually present. Large-leaved aster (Aster macrophyllus), sweet-scented bedstraw (Galium triflorum), and hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata) are commonly present. Many grass and sedge species occur in the community, including nodding fescue (Festuca subverticillata), bearded shorthusk (Brachyelytrum erectum), starry sedge (Carex rosea), graceful sedge (C. gracillima), long-stalked sedge (C. pedunculata), Pennsylvania sedge (C. pensylvanica), bladder sedge (C. intumescens), bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix), woodland millet grass (Milium effusum), and bland sedge (C. blanda).•Shrub layer ranges from sparse to interrupted (25–75% cover). Beaked hazelnut (Corylus cornuta) is present in about 50% of sites and when present, is the most abundant shrub species. Other frequent species include chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), prickly gooseberry (Ribes cynosbati), and nannyberry (Viburnum lentago), along with black ash, basswood, northern red oak, sugar maple, red maple, and blue beech seedlings.•Subcanopy is interrupted (50–75% cover), with sugar maple, basswood, and black ash the most abundant species. Other frequent subcanopy species include ironwood, blue beech, and bur oak.•Canopy usually is interrupted (50–75% cover). Basswood, black ash, and bur oak are the most important canopy trees, often occurring with northern red oak, sugar maple, green ash, and red maple. When present, white pine may be an important canopy species.
Landscape Setting & Soils•Till plains—Common. Landscape is undulating with broad flats and long, gentle slopes. Parent material is noncalcareous sandy loam till with some gravel. Soils have dense, gray, well-cemented subsoil horizons that perch snowmelt and rainfall. Gray and bright soil colors are present above and below the dense subsoil horizons, indicating periodic saturation in these layers. Soils are somewhat poorly drained. Soil-moisture regime is moist. (WSU)•Streamterracesandwave-cutbenchesaroundlakes—Common. Topography is level. Parent material is noncalcareous alluvium or water-washed till. These sites do not flood, but the water table is near the soil surface in the spring and then falls steadily through the growing season. Gray and bright soil colors, indicating periodic saturation, begin at about 6in (15cm) and continue to depths > 60in (150cm). Soils are somewhat poorly drained. Soil-moisture regime is moist. (WSU; MDL; Anoka Sand Plain in MIM)
MHc47 MESICHARDWOODFORESTSYSTEMCentral Floristic Region
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Natural HistoryIn the past, catastrophic disturbances were rare in MHc47. An analysis of Public Land Survey records indicates that the rotations of catastrophic fires and windthrow were both in excess of 1,000 years. Events that result in partial loss of the tree canopy, especially light surface fires, were much more common, with an estimated rotation of about 140 years. In the historic records, MHc47 shows almost no compositional change among age classes. Young, mature, and old forests were all dominated by a mixture of basswood, bur oak, and sugar maple, with black ash and American elm present at lower abundance. Quaking aspen tended to be more abundant in forests younger than 75 years, paper birch was more abundant in forests under about 105 years, and white pine had greater presence in forests older than about 155 years.
Similar Native Plant Community Classes•MHc36CentralMesicHardwoodForest(Eastern)MHc36 is similar to MHc47 but occurs on drier sites. MHc36 is more likely to have species with affinity for well-drained soils, while MHc47 is more likely to have species with affinity for WF communities.
• MHs38SouthernMesicOak-BasswoodForestMHs38 can be similar to MHc47 but occurs on drier sites. MHs38 is present mainly to the south of MHc47. The ranges of the two communities may overlap where the MIM borders the WSU and MDL.
Native Plant Community Types in Class•MHc47aBasswood-BlackAshForestMHc47a is the only plant community type recognized in this class.
MHc47 Indicator Species (freq%)
MHc47 MHc36Giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) 39 2Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) 57 4Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) 57 4Tall coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) 43 4Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) 48 5Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) 39 5Michigan lily (Lilium michiganense) 39 5Black ash (C) 74 11
MHc36 Indicator Species (freq%)MHc47 MHc36
White oak (C) - 11Red-berried elder (Sambucus racemosa) - 11Leatherwood (Dirca palustris) 9 38Big-toothed aspen (C,U) 4 17Paper birch (U) 4 15American spikenard (Aralia racemosa) 22 60Hairy Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum pubescens) 26 67Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) 30 76
MHc47 Indicator Species (freq%)
MHc47 MHs38Spotted water hemlock (Cicuta maculata) 43 -Red maple (C,U) 61 1Rose twistedstalk (Streptopus roseus) 57 2Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) 48 2Side-flowering aster (Aster lateriflorus) 70 4Pale bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia) 78 5Large-leaved aster (Aster macrophyllus) 83 7Round-lobed hepatica (Anemone americana) 48 5
MHs38 Indicator Species (freq%)MHc47 MHs38
Cleavers (Galium aparine) - 37Box elder (U) - 35White oak (C) - 27Shining bedstraw (Galium concinnum) - 26Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense) - 24Spreading Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans) - 22Missouri gooseberry (Ribes missouriense) 4 28Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) 4 27
MHc47 - continued -
MESICHARDWOODFORESTSYSTEMCentral Floristic Region
MHc47 - continued -
MESICHARDWOODFORESTSYSTEMCentral Floristic Region
phot
o by
D.S
. Wov
cha
MN
DN
R
St. Croix State Forest, Pine County, MN
144
MH
c47
Cen
tral
Wet
-Mes
ic H
ard
wo
od
Fo
rest
–Spec
iesFrequen
cy&Cove
r
Forb
s, F
ern
s &
Fer
n A
llies
C
layt
on’s
sw
eet c
icel
y (
Osm
orhi
za c
layt
onii)
100
•La
dy fe
rn (
Ath
yriu
m fi
lix-f
emin
a)91
•••
Ear
ly m
eado
w-r
ue (
Thal
ictr
um d
ioic
um)
91•
Sw
eet-
scen
ted
beds
traw
(G
aliu
m tr
iflor
um)
83•
Larg
e-le
aved
ast
er (
Ast
er m
acro
phy
llus)
83•
Hog
pea
nut
(Am
phi
carp
aea
bra
ctea
ta)
83••
•E
rect
, Sm
ooth
, or
Illin
ois
carr
ion-
flow
er *
78•
Larg
e-flo
wer
ed b
ellw
ort
(Uvu
laria
gra
ndifl
ora)
78•
Pal
e be
llwor
t (U
vula
ria s
essi
lifol
ia)
78•
Rug
ulos
e or
Yel
low
vio
let
(Vio
la c
anad
ensi
s or
V. p
ubes
cens
)78
•C
anad
a m
ayflo
wer
(M
aian
them
um c
anad
ense
)78
•T
wo-
leav
ed m
iterw
ort
(Mite
lla d
iphy
lla)
78•
Jack
-in-t
he-p
ulpi
t (A
risae
ma
trip
hyllu
m)
74•
Poi
nted
-leav
ed ti
ck tr
efoi
l (D
esm
odiu
m g
lutin
osum
)70
••W
ild s
arsa
paril
la (
Ara
lia n
udic
aulis
)70
•S
ide-
flow
erin
g as
ter
(A
ster
late
riflo
rus)
70•
Com
mon
enc
hant
er’s
nig
htsh
ade
(C
ircae
a lu
tetia
na)
65•
Mar
ylan
d bl
ack
snak
eroo
t (S
anic
ula
mar
iland
ica)
65•
Wild
gin
ger
(A
saru
m c
anad
ense
)65
••D
war
f ras
pber
ry (
Rub
us p
ubes
cens
)61
•La
rge-
flow
ered
trill
ium
(Tr
illiu
m g
rand
iflor
um)
61•
Wild
ger
aniu
m (
Ger
aniu
m m
acul
atum
)61
•R
ose
twis
teds
talk
(S
trep
top
us r
oseu
s)57
•B
lood
root
(S
ang
uina
ria c
anad
ensi
s)57
•Lo
psee
d (
Phr
yma
lep
tost
achy
a)52
•H
onew
ort
(Cry
pto
taen
ia c
anad
ensi
s)52
•R
ed b
aneb
erry
(A
ctae
a ru
bra
)52
•W
ood
anem
one
(A
nem
one
qui
nque
folia
)52
•C
omm
on s
traw
berr
y (
Fra
gar
ia v
irgin
iana
)48
•S
ensi
tive
fern
(O
nocl
ea s
ensi
bili
s)48
•C
omm
on fa
lse
Sol
omon
’s s
eal
(Sm
ilaci
na r
acem
osa)
48•
Inte
rrup
ted
fern
(O
smun
da
clay
toni
ana)
48•
Rou
nd-lo
bed
hepa
tica
(A
nem
one
amer
ican
a)43
•T
ouch
-me-
not
(Im
pat
iens
spp
.)43
•
Tal
l con
eflow
er (
Rud
bec
kia
laci
niat
a)43
•S
potte
d w
ater
hem
lock
(C
icut
a m
acul
ata)
43•
Ost
rich
fern
(M
atte
ucci
a st
ruth
iop
teris
)39
•••
Mai
denh
air
fern
(A
dia
ntum
ped
atum
)35
•••
Virg
inia
wat
erle
af (
Hyd
rop
hyllu
m v
irgin
ianu
m)
35••
•G
rass
es &
Sed
ges
Nod
ding
fesc
ue (
Fes
tuca
sub
vert
icill
ata)
70•
Pen
nsyl
vani
a se
dge
(C
arex
pen
sylv
anic
a)70
•••
Bea
rded
sho
rthu
sk (
Bra
chye
lytr
um e
rect
um)
65•
Long
-sta
lked
sed
ge (
Car
ex p
edun
cula
ta)
61••
Sta
rry
sedg
e (
Car
ex r
osea
)61
•G
race
ful s
edge
(C
arex
gra
cilli
ma)
52•
Bot
tlebr
ush
gras
s (
Ely
mus
hys
trix
)52
•C
limb
ing
Pla
nts
Virg
inia
cre
eper
(P
arth
enoc
issu
s sp
p.)
78•
Sh
rub
sC
hoke
cher
ry (
Pru
nus
virg
inia
na)
74•
Pric
kly
goos
eber
ry (
Rib
es c
ynos
bat
i)61
•H
awth
orn
(C
rata
egus
spp
.)57
•B
eake
d ha
zeln
ut (
Cor
ylus
cor
nuta
)57
•••
Nan
nybe
rry
(V
ibur
num
lent
ago)
57•
Poi
son
ivy
(To
xico
den
dro
n ry
db
erg
ii)48
•D
owny
arr
oww
ood
(V
ibur
num
raf
ines
qui
anum
)48
•Tr
ees
Can
opy
Subca
nopy
ShrubLay
erfr
eq%
cove
rfr
eq%
cove
rfr
eq%
cove
rB
assw
ood
91••
••70
•••
70•
Bla
ck a
sh74
•••
52••
•78
•B
ur o
ak65
•••
43••
•43
•N
orth
ern
red
oak
57••
•13
••74
•G
reen
ash
43••
9•
48•
Sug
ar m
aple
43••
•52
••••
57••
•R
ed m
aple
39••
•13
••57
•Ir
onw
ood
--
74••
43•
Blu
e be
ech
--
61••
•52
••*
Ere
ct, S
moo
th, o
r Ill
inoi
s ca
rrio
n-flo
wer
(S
mila
x ec
irrat
a, S
. her
bac
ea, o
r S
. illi
noen
sis)
freq
%
cov
er
freq
%
cov
er
MHc47 - continued -
MESICHARDWOODFORESTSYSTEMCentral Floristic Region